The Campaign
by dm's princess
Summary: Hermione Granger is twenty five, brilliant, a self professed workaholic and beautiful. Draco is twenty six, married, a father, a successful politician and needs Hermione's help in securing his greatest accomplishment yet. Get ready for some smart sass, sex and love while this unlikely pair fall hard for one another.
1. Chapter 1

**Author note:**

**Disclaimer!**

**In this story there is no Voldemort. There is no hatred of muggleborns, mudbloods and such. Harry, Ron and Hermione grew up normally and went to school with Draco at Hogwarts. They didn't like each other much in school, but that is over now. Now they are all grown up and adults living in the Wizarding world. **

**Expect short chappies initially and none that will be too drastically long, just trying to do a laid back story here.**

**Happy Reads!**

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Chapter 1  
Hermione Granger ran through the pouring rain with a folded copy of the daily prophet held over her head, attempting to keep her hair orderly and dry. Her heels clicked erratically as she hurriedly cut across the muggle street and dodged a soaked black BMW. Relieved that she had finally reached her destination, The Leaky Cauldron, she sighed heavily and yanked open the heavy wooden door of the pub. The atmosphere inside of The Leaky Cauldron was the complete opposite of the torrential onslaught of rain outside. Buzzing with witches and wizards who spoke jovially amongst one another, with drinks flowing and a roaring fire in the middle of the pub it was warm and friendly. Hermione tilted her head and looked around the outskirts of the pub as she replaced her copy of the Prophet back into her black purse. She paced around several tables and frowned when she realized that though she was running fifteen minutes late, the person she was there to meet seemed to be running late as well. "Damned rain," she muttered to herself as she headed toward the bar to take a seat until he arrived. She ordered mead and sipped smoothly while she pulled out a file from her purse to read in the meantime while she waited.

Hermione Granger had graduated in the top of her class from Hogwarts nearly 8 years ago. Although she could have gotten a job anywhere with her grades and reputation Hermione had surprised everyone by selecting a path in politics and law upon graduation. She attended a Wizarding Law school where she graduated early, again top of her class, while she balanced high profile internships at the Ministry of Magic. Then had surprised everyone, yet again, by taking on a most unlikely and controversial job title: campaign manager for the muggle Prime Minister. The Prime Minister had won the election with more votes than any other previous Prime Minister in history without using any magic besides Hermione's high intelligence. The Prime Minister himself, as well as almost all of Britain knew that it was all because of Hermione Granger and her particular brilliance. The Prime Minister had naturally offered Hermione a job on his staff once in office; however she had turned down the offer and returned to the Wizarding world, but not before breaking the news to the newly elected Prime Minister about the Wizarding world. When she returned there was a flurry of job offers all of which she had no interest in. Hermione in light of her campaign experience had made the decision to establish her own consulting business. She now worked for herself and had private clients who would seek her out and that she would serve for as a variety of things: lawyer, counselor, investigator and adviser. Her list of clients often held significant posts of power and prestige and Hermione enjoyed her work immensely. At twenty five years old Hermione Granger had built a reputation that she was determined to protect and be recognized as a force to be reckoned with. She was brilliant, powerful, a self proclaimed workaholic and beautiful. All of which mattered greatly to her next client.

Hermione shuffled through the papers in the file she had removed from her bag and sipped her mead as she looked down a list of transactions from Gringotts over the past six weeks. Her current client was a widow who was certain that her recently deceased husband had left behind a mistress and a fat trust fund for her greedy most likely manicured claws. Hermione had been on the case for less than forty eight hours and could clearly see that the widow's suspicions were accurate and didn't even know why the woman had hired her. Sometimes when things were obvious, but painful people's denial would suddenly kick in. Hermione believed that was the case in this situation. She replaced the paper and tilted her head back finishing her mead. A man dressed coolly in blue suddenly took a seat beside Hermione and ordered not only himself a drink, but her as well. "A double firewhiskey please, and another mead for the lady." Hermione gasped and choked on the mead in her throat. She knew that voice anywhere. Faster than a bolt of lightning striking she twisted in her seat and looked wildly at the unmoved man sitting beside her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author note:**

**Disclaimer!**

**Happy Reads!**

* * *

Chapter 2  
"Your enthusiasm at seeing me truly flatters me Granger." He smirked gallantly at her. Hermione braced her hands on the bar as she coughed and then took a deep breath to regain her composure from choking. "Enthusiasm Malfoy? Have you gone blind in your left eye?" His smirk deepened. The bar maiden dropped off his whiskey and her mead. "Thanks," Hermione croaked, still feeling a squeezing pain in her throat from choking. "You're most welcome," Malfoy replied smartly. She rolled her eyes at him. "You know that I wasn't speaking to you." "No, but I want to speak with you Ms. Granger. Been keeping busy?" He asked taking up the crystal glass with firewhiskey in his hand. "What? You mean since the last time that I saw you at the Ministry Gala a year ago? I was there wasn't I? Wouldn't that prove to you that I keep myself fairly busy?" "Ah, you remember exactly the time that we last saw one another. And danced together I might add. You are obsessed with me like I suspected." "Always the narcissist." Hermione said lazily rolling her eyes and taking a large gulp of her mead. They both looked sideways slowly at one another and then both began to laugh. "Glad to see things are still the same between us." She said smiling at him. "I'm not sure that they are your dancing left me handicapped and I am here looking for payment." Hermione laughed again. "I am a completely rotten dancer, but Harry insisted we dance together didn't he?" "Now there's a lad who keeps busy." Malfoy said draining his glass. "He certainly does, Head of a Department is a job enough, but of the Auror department. He will never retire though, mark my words. He loves his work too much." Malfoy nodded and motioned to the bar maiden for another drink. "By what happy coincidence are you here today might I ask?" Hermione asked looking sideways at him. He turned his head to her and smiled slyly. "You think this a coincidence?" Hermione frowned confused. "You're bloody harder to reach than the Minister of Magic, Granger. I assure you I had to send an owl, or three to get you here to meet with me this evening." "Meet you? No, I'm here to meet-" "Blaise. Yes, yes I know, he is my best friend isn't he? I spoke to him and told him that I needed a meeting with you." "You spoke to Blaise? You had to discuss something with me that you couldn't discuss with my boyfriend and your best friend? Why?" Malfoy raised one eyebrow and a shadow of a smirk graced his features. "You finally began calling him your boyfriend? He's been complaining for weeks claiming that you won't put a label on your… friendship." "Well I have now, haven't I?" Hermione snapped. "Gotten over your commitment issues have you?" "I don't have commitment issues, where on earth did you hear that, or are you completely making that up? I wouldn't put it past you." He laughed heartily. "If you wanted a meeting with me then you obviously need something and if you need something then this isn't the way to go about for my services. And gathering that it is something that you need to talk to me about and not your bestfriend I am going to guess that it is something big." "Alright, alright Granger." He said smiling and holding up his hands. "What do you want Malfoy?" Hermione asked pointedly. "Well, you're wrong I did speak to Blaise about what I wanted to discuss with you. We both felt after I told him that I should discuss it with you, alone." Hermione couldn't help, but let her curiosity be piqued at his elusive words. "I'll just come out and say is straight Granger. I want you to come out of retirement." "Excuse me?" She said very confused. He simply nodded at her. "Are you completely daft Malfoy? What did Blaise tell you that I do? I'm not retired. I work each and every day, even weekends, I enjoy my-" "Not that work. The work that you did before your consulting business." Hermione's head tilted to the side. "You mean… the campaign?" Draco nodded wordlessly and then lifted his new drink to his lips. "You want me to be a campaign manager?" He continued to nod only this time with the slightest smirk growing on his lips. "A campaign for what, for who?" He replaced his drink on the bar counter and then looking her dead in the eyes said, "A Campaign for me, to become the Minister of Magic."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author note:**

**Disclaimer!**

**Happy Reads!**

* * *

Chapter 3  
Hermione burst into laughter. Draco narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm sorry, but you've got to be joking!" She said grinning at him. "I am quite serious and I would say that I am offering this job to you, but really I'm not offering it I am demanding it." He replied coolly. Hermione's laughter ceased. "I'm sorry you're what? Demanding me?" She replied with her eyebrows raised. "I am, because although I can make you a very wealthy witch through this process I know that that isn't what you truly want. Money doesn't matter to you, but I know what really does matter and I can give it to you." Hermione knitted her brows and sighed. "Malfoy how could you possibly know what I really want?" He once again tilted his drink back and emptied the crystal glass for the second time. "Because I am intelligent and no offense to you or Blaise, but you do not hide well what it is you truly want and Blaise is not as intelligent as me and cannot see what it is you really want either." Hermione huffed. "What exactly are you saying? What can you give me that Blaise is incapable of?" "It's not what Blaise is incapable of, it's what everyone else in the world is incapable of, except me." "Which is what?" Hermione demanded now feeling rather heated and annoyed. "Simple really, you want the greater good to always win. You have a specific view of how things should be in order for the good to always prevail." Hermione crossed her arms and leaned back looking at him, assessing him while he continued. "All of those bills you want passed on the rights of House Elves, I can make that happen for you once I take office." "How the devil did you know about that?" She asked startled. "I do my homework too, almost as well as you do." He replied. She snorted rolling her eyes at him. "Everything that you see as fit or needs to be changed, I will give that you if you take on this job. Any and all corrections that need to be made will happen. You would be my highest of advisers." "Why are you offering this to me? Why would you even offer to give me such power?" "Honestly there are only two simple reasons: one, because I truly trust your judgment and two, you are the only one who can make it happen. The only one who can get me into that office." Hermione blinked slowly and uncrossed her arms. "I could become Minister of Magic myself if I wanted to, I could just do it all myself." Hermione said bluffing. He chuckled and shook his head. "No, you wouldn't want that and we both know why. You want to be behind the scenes, you don't want the attention. Because if you were the Minister of Magic you couldn't be as honest with the public as you would want to be. You cannot always tell the whole truth as a politician, but I am willing to take on that role. I will be the bad guy and the enemy of the people when they disagree with things. I would stand in the line of fire for the greater good and not always be honest about it but you, you will not have to. You would get the privilege of deciding on the changes and only doing good without anyone calling for your head in the process of those changes. There isn't any decision you would make that I wouldn't agree with. We would make an unstoppable team together Granger." Hermione pursed her lips at him. "Hypothetically if you did become the Minister then that would mean I would become a member of your staff once you took office so the public would know that I have given you counsel and it would not all be on you, but on your advisors as well, directly linking me. That puts me right in the front line of fire if shit hits the fan." "The job title that I would give you when I take office would be something completely opposite as well as phony. I would call you my lead correspondent, however you would be my head adviser and no one should be any the wiser. My personal correspondent would be seen with me just as much as my head adviser would be." "Who would be your head advisor then?" "Someone who we can swear to secrecy and then give them the real job as lead correspondent, someone who would have to be a damned good actor though." Hermione nodded as the simple brilliance of his idiotic plan. "It's your dream job Granger, unofficial Minister of Magic. All you have to do is say yes and put a little work in to get me into that office." Hermione looked him in the eyes. "But you would be the real Minister of Magic." Malfoy nodded. "I would, but I would have your advice on any and everything when in office, nothing would be held secret or past over you." She shook her head, "I am not that naïve Malfoy. I am no fool, I know how politics work." "You may not have a good day everyday or be happy every day with this arrangement, but you will never be able to have an opportunity like this, an opportunity that is this good, again and you would have all your greater for the good adjustments seen to. That I can promise you." After a very long pause Hermione sighed and looked at Malfoy wondering if she was making the worst or best decision of her life. "I'm intrigued. Buy me another drink and we'll talk details." Malfoy knew that she was in.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author note:**

**Disclaimer!**

**Happy Reads!**

* * *

Chapter 4  
"What makes you think people will vote for him?" Harry demanded of Hermione a week later in his flat while they shared a bottle of wine with Ginny and Ron. "The Ministry needs younger blood in it. Hell the muggle Prime Minister who won was fifteen years younger than any of the other candidates. The standards today are evolving and the public likes a young face. Makes them feel like they can squeeze him, control him and get whatever they want out of him. It's a brilliant move to try for office when he's this young." "Hermione he's our age! He's twenty five years old!" "Twenty six." Hermione interjected pouring herself another glass of Zinfandel. "Whatever! He's practically a child!" "Is he Harry? Are you not the Head of a Department at the Ministry and the very same age as him?" "Yes! Exactly! I am working in a Department not as the Minister of Magic Hermione! There's no bloody way he will make it into office, you're wasting your time with him." "Shut the hell up about it Harry," Ginny said annoyed. "I think Hermione is right about this and you are jealous for some reason." She continued raising her glass to her lips. "Jealous! You've got to be kidding me Gin!" Ron shook his head and looked up at them from the ground, "I think the girls are right Harry, he's got a chance. He's a governor for the school, Order of Merlin and a member of the court. He's got old money and buckets of it, plus he's got a wife and their son is how old again Hermione?" "He's three." Ron nodded shrugging. "I wouldn't say it's completely out of the question." "There is no way that Draco Malfoy will be Minister of Magic!" Harry shouted looking at them like they had all lost their minds. Suddenly a baby crying from a bedroom in the back of the flat wailed and Ginny glared heatedly at Harry. "Look you've woken your daughter now." Harry sighed and closed his eyes. "Sorry Gin." "I'll deal with it," she snapped getting up from the couch and walking to the back to Lily's bedroom. After a moment Harry spoke again with his eyes closed and his voice much calmer. "There is no possible chance Hermione, you might as well just throw away a year of your life than waste your time with this campaign." Hermione stared at Harry and shook her head. "You're wrong." Harry rolled his eyes and put his arms up in the air. "I give up, I won't try and talk sense into you. You are a grown woman and will make your own decisions and mistakes." "Harry stop talking like you're my father." He held up his hands again in mock defense. "I thought you were fine with Malfoy these days anyway?" "I am, I just don't bloody think he would make a good Minister of Magic and think that he's too damned young." Hermione nodded, "that's something that I need to build a strategy for defense against for his campaign. Your thoughts Ron?" Ron shrugged. "The days of him being a git in school are over. I see him at the governor meetings for the school and he seems like a right stand up bloke. Never made an ill or sarcastic remark since school, only respect and friendliness these days. He's got his priorities right for someone his age." Hermione nodded. "Right well I'm off, I am going to meet him and Astoria for a drink before we announce his running in the election tomorrow morning. Night all." "Wait? What about you and Blaise? He's Draco's bestfriend, can you to get on through the campaign?" Ron asked. "We haven't discussed it. It shouldn't threaten our relationship." Ron shrugged again. "Be careful is all I'm saying." Hermione smiled kissed him on the cheek and nodded to Harry. "Say goodnight to Gin for me."

Hermione's heels clicked loudly as she walked down the cobbled stone steps to the pub where she was meeting Malfoy and his wife Astoria. Hermione fisted her hands in her coat pockets annoyed with herself that she had forgotten her gloves. When she came to the entrance of the pub Malfoy was walking up at the same moment, alone. "Where's Astoria?" Hermione asked as he opened the door for her. "Babysitter was ill and Astoria's not feeling well herself. Told her that I could manage on my own." Hermione rubbed her palms together as they walked over to a wooden circular table in the back of the pub. "She'll need some rest for tomorrow," said Hermione. Malfoy watched as Hermione removed her pea coat to reveal her gray tight fitted dress. Hermione noticed his obvious gawk that lasted one second, but she pretended to not have seen it. When she sat Malfoy cleared his throat a little more loudly than needed. Hermione, again pretended not to notice and pulled out a small calendar from her gray purse. "We have 13 months before the day of the election. The more we plan, the more we prepare, the more that gets done and the more likely the odds are in our favor to win this." Malfoy nodded silently while he stared at her. Hermione couldn't help, but notice that his eyes seemed to be focused on her lips. She clapped her hands together loudly and whatever trance Malfoy seemed to be a victim of suddenly evaporated. "I need your full attention," Hermione said looking him dead in the eye. "No distractions." Malfoy nodded and cleared his throat. "Agreed. No distractions." Hermione smiled wide. "Alright, let's get a drink and then plan your statement for tomorrow."


End file.
